When you decide to spend $800 million, you should at least know how to operate what you’ve just purchased. You don’t try to fly an airplane without a pilot’s license. You don’t buy a NASCAR team and hire a driver with no experience. Daniel Snyder has owned the Washington Redskins for 10 years and he has run the football operations as if he were Vince Lombardi. The problem is, he’s a businessman, not a football man. The best run NFL franchises are led by football minds, not their owners.
APDaniel Snyder has owned the Redskins for 10 years but has never surrounded himself with enough football minds.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been led by the Rooney family since 1933, and they have more Super Bowls (six) than they’ve had head coaches (three). In 1992, James Orthwein purchased the New England Patriots from Victor Kiam and hired Bill Parcells to lead the organization. When Orthwein sold the team to Robert Kraft after one year, Parcells left and Bill Belichick came in. The point is simple: If you’re smart enough to borrow enough money to buy the Redskins and the stadium, you should be smart enough to know you need to hire someone to oversee your prized possession.
I was fortunate to run the Philadelphia 76ers for 10 years, and along the way I made plenty of mistakes. But I learned from those mistakes. Hiring the right person to lead a major professional team along with a coach is a difficult task. And once you do hire a coach, you can’t try and tell him how to coach. As GM, and later president and GM, I felt it was my job to run interference for the coach or, better yet, be the buffer. Allow the owner to vent to me, not the coach. A head coach at any level has tremendous pressure on him. The last thing I felt he needed was added pressure from the owner. Of course, there are meetings where personnel and strategy are discussed among the coach and management. I always felt that if you were going to strongly suggest whom they should play and what plays should be run, then that person should not be your head coach. You don’t take your car to a car wash and wash it yourself. You have to hire the best people and allow them to do their job until you decide they’re not capable.
Here lies the problem with the Redskins. The most exciting and successful period in their history was when they were led by Bobby Beathard, who was GM from 1978 to 1989. He was assisted by Charley Casserly, who later took over for Beathard. Bobby allowed Joe Gibbs to become the great coach that he eventually became. Jack Kent Cooke did not micro-manage; yes, he was an outspoken, eccentric owner, but he allowed his football people to be football people.
Gibbs started his first season with the Redskins with five losses. This is where Daniel Snyder should take a lesson from the late owner. Cooke not only endorsed Gibbs, he proclaimed that the team would finish 8-8, which it did. This let everyone -- fans, players and media -- know that Gibbs was his guy. It also allowed Gibbs the complete confidence to implement a system that he felt was going to be successful for a long time and not cut corners. If Snyder wants to be a great owner, he needs to do what other great owners have done: Hire a real football guy and then sit in the owner’s box and cheer. From the fans’ complaints about their overall experience at the stadium, he may want to do the same on business side.
APSnyder should focus his attention more towards a GM and less towards the revolving coach's door.
If you look at the Redskins, you realize there’s not going to be a quick fix here. It’s going to take time building through the draft, which is why Snyder needs to stop looking for the coaching messiah. Take some time to hire a GM and then listen to him. Once the new guy is in place, allow him to lay the foundation to build a solid franchise. When you take this route (hint: open your media guide, Mr. Snyder; you’ll see that Beathard recommended Gibbs to Jack Kent Cooke), the coach and GM work together to build a championship-caliber team. Yes, there are great coaches out there -- Mike Shanahan, Jon Gruden and Bill Cower to name three. I know Snyder is tempted to throw a bunch of money their way. He should step back, resist the temptation and get a real football guy to be the GM to lead his team. You don’t send your kids to school in the winter without a coat. Stop sending your team out on the field without a real leader at the top. Those same coaches will be there later, and your relationship with them will be even better because you have a GM.
Snyder and I both grew up rooting for the same team. We both were little boys when the Redskins lost to the Miami Dolphins in the Super Bowl in 1973. Mr. Snyder, you’ve gone on to be a huge success in the business world. You now own a team that people along the Beltway love like an only child. All we ask as loyal fans is that you think back to when you were a child and do what Jack Kent Cooke did: Hire someone smart. Then you can sit back and take all the credit.
If you’re willing to do this, trust me, you will have so much fun and you’ll go down as one of the greatest owners to ever own a professional sports team. Jerry Jones was on a path to greatness until he fired Jimmy Johnson. The Redskins were great with a great owner once, and they can be great with a great owner again. It all starts with hiring a pilot to fly your plane, Daniel Snyder.
Billy King is a former general manager and president of the Philadelphia 76ers. King grew up in Sterling, Virginia, where he received a basketball scholarship to Duke University. Known for his tenacious defense, King was named captain of the 1988 Final Four team. He's currently a frequent NBA TV analyst and an avid NFL fan.
I have applaud Mr. King on the article. Well said. I am an outside observer a Green Bay Packer Fan. I see Mr. Snyder and Jerry Jones as two eccentric who want the nfl to become like the old nfl and baseball a league of have and have nots. The reason is when you can buy all the talent you don't have to work as hard. What both have right now more so in Washington is what many drill instructors in the military refer to as a "soup sandwich" also known as a mess. The Dallas fans sufferance is different. The worst thing that happened was Jerry getting a ring with The Switzer circus after Jimmy so he still thinks he can win his way. Just how many playoff wins since then Jerry? Snyders ego got stroked when Gibbs got him a taste of the playoffs as well. You are a great business man a football man you are not. I feel for the fans. If I were a coach. I would not touch either job with a 10 foot pole. If you pay me to do a job let me do it my way. If I should fail you may fire me, at least I did it my way. What is the worst thing that can happen? You lose or your Gm and coach could put a lombardi in your trophy case. That's the goal. What you have now is a bunch of shiny new cars you threw way too much dough at. A real life fantasy team. That loses for real every week. What happens when the fans quit buying tickets and merchendise? Games get blacked out ? Maybe thats what it will take for someone to take notice. The owner screw up this next cba and football will never be as popular as it is. Every team should have a chance the revenue sharing is the greatest idea football ever had Green Bay, Chicago, New York built this league. Funny how The smallest market a community owned team is known as Titletown. Revenue sharing brought the franchise back to prominece under guidence of Bob Harlen, Ron Wolf and Mike Holmgren. All football men !
Snyder has meddled and messed with the operation to the point that he can't possibly get a decent coach anymore. Who would put their reputation on the line with an owner who can't admit he doesn't know football? The only hope at this point is for Snyder to hire someone with some credentials and turn over the football operation completely. It would have to be an ironclad contract to keep the fool from meddling.
King writes that "The Pittsburgh Steelers have been led by the Rooney family since 1933, and they have more Super Bowls (six) than they’ve had head coaches (three)." This is factually untrue as the last 3 coaches of Pittsburgh are Tomlin, Cohwer and Noll. Unless Noll started coaching the team in 1933 this can't be right. Just saying that's all.
I think he meant to say since the merger of AFL and NFl. Either way you can't defend anything this guy has done.
I think this article is largely nonsense. Yes, it is obviously a good idea to have stability. Yes, the Rooneys have been successful. Plenty of teams led by "football" men have not been. Look at GB this year. Their offensive line is as bad as the Skins', and they made a mess of the Brett Favre situation, yet there is no Little Napoleon owner to toss brickbats at. I don't doubt that Snyder is a prick of the first order, but I also dispute the idea that only guys with 30 years of football experience can run a team. Of course, it is imperative to have a good coach and a good front office, but there is no reason why an owner, who had the intelligence to accumulate the money to buy the team(unlike the current Rooney's for example), can't function in a CEO capacity. Not every owner can and any CEO can make mistakes, but that doesn't validate the point of this article, which is that the owner should sign checks and keep his mouth shut.
Meateater: Look at the results. The Redskins are a woeful team, pure and simple, and are on the decline. Assuming your premise that an owner can be a good CEO of a pro football team is correct, it certainly hasn't been the case with Snyder and the Redskins. The woeful results speak for themselves. Your logic is flawed when you claim that just because one is successful at one endeavor does not mean that he or she will be successful in a completely different arena. I'm glad you mentioned the Rooneys and the Steelers. They won the SB last year and have won more titles than any other franchise. If you're suggesting that inheriting the team is somehow a weakness or a flaw I'll take that over Snyder's situation any day.
This was nothing but te truth.
Everyone knows what Snyder is doing isn't working...why doesn't HE get it ???? He can't be pleased with what he's done to a once proud team and loyal fans who vent their frustrations with signs.... I'm embarrassed for the team and feel sorry for Zorn... I've been a Redskin fan for over forty years...we've had mediocre seasons before but this is the first time I can't bear to watch them...
I owned a business 15 minutes from Redskin Park and hired two people who had a combined 9 years working in the Redskin's front office. One as the executive assistant to a head coach. They verified for me what most fans assume when they watch Snyder: he treats people "below" him as if they are cattle and sucks up to anyone he thinks he can gain something from.
Remember when he dressed like Marty Schottenheimer? Snyder is a frustrated athlete, an egotist who got lucky in business and now wants to buy the self-confidence in sports that he couldn't earn on his own. He thinks if he just hires the right coach he can then run the personnel decisions behind the scenes and claim a big role in the team's success. Cerrato is truly a lap dog for Snyder.
Billy King is right, the only thing Snyder should be involved in is hiring a knowledgeable GM and then collaborating with the GM on hiring an experienced NFL coach. From that point on he should give them 3 years, minimum, to show they are headed in the right direction.
And let me make it simple for him: STOP giving away draft picks. The top five winningest teams of the past decade get far more of their starters from their own drafts. Like 30% more on average. Danny boy, if you ran a business that had gross margins 30% worse than your top competitors, you'd be a bad CEO. And, when it comes to football you are a terrible CEO.
Folks, don't believe the Redskins press machine or other general media outlets. Believe your own instincts. On the whole, what is it about Snyder's performance that makes you believe he deserves the right to own your team? Anything? YOU make the Redskins valuable. Its YOUR dollars spent on tickets, merchandise, etc., that make Danny boy believe he must have done something right (after all, the franchise is worth, allegedly, over $1 billion). He's using you and destroying the franchise whose value is based on your wallet. Stop supporting him. Now. And force Snyder to either do the right thing, or sell the team.
Micro-managing is the least effective way to achieve the desired results. as a skins fan going way back to quarterback "Sammy' and up to the "Sonny" days the team had its up and downs. King is right on the money with his analysis. A message to Dan....Management is getting things done through others......hire a football manager, and you should seal your lips and just watch.
I could reprise dozens of posts of mine from other venues echoing the same comments as Mr.KING's. You can't second guess those to whom you have given the power to oversee your management ops. You must let them succeed or fail on their own. Mr. SNYDER please stop your micro-managing and let professionals do their jobs.
Billy, great article and insight. Send me an email as I didn't have your new info.
AMEN MR KING. THE ONLY THING THAT I WOULD ADD TO HIS ANALYSIS IS BOURN OUT BY THE BUSINESSMAN WHO HIRED THE FORMER REDSKINS ADNINISTRATIVE EMPLOYEES WHO TOLD HIM ABOUT HOW HE TREATS PEOPLE. MR HARRISON'S COMMENT REINFORCES IT. MY POINT IS THIS-FOOTBALL IS A PEOPLE BUSINESS. DAN SNYDER IS OBVIOUSLY NOT A PEOPLE PERSON. HE WOULD NOT ACT THE WAY HE DOES IF HE WERE. IT'S VERY OBVIOUS AFTER 10 YEARS THAT YOU CANNOT BE SUCCESSFUL IN A PEOPLE BUSINESS MR SNYDER. PLEASE, PLEASE FOR EVERYONE'S SAKE , PUT YOUR EGO ON THE BACK BURNER, BITE THE BULLET AND TAKE THE ACTION THAT MR KING RECOMMENDS. MAYBE THEN, WE'LL ALL BE ABLE TO ONCE AGAIN CHEER FOR THE TEAM WE ALL LOVE.
I hope Mr Snyder takes your recommendations to heart Mr. King or we are in for a painful future with the Redskins.
This article is perfectly written. Winners are patient and let the professionals do their job. I DO agree that Danny boy is an asshole. He thinks he's above everybody. I'm 5'6" and he'd have to climb a ladder to kiss my ass. If he wants to feel like a big boy then he should make some big boy decisions. Hire a damn GM and shut the **** up. Let them do what they're experts in.
ONCE AND FOR ALL ---FIRE VINNY you MIDGET SCUMBAG!!!!!
WHEN GIBBS WAS PRESIDENT/HEAD COACH THE TEAM MADE THE PLAYOFFS AND HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. WHAT DOES DANNY BOY DO BROKE IT ALL UP. WHEN WE HAD A QB BRAD JOHNSON HE LET HIM GO. WHEN WE HAD A GOON RUNNING BACK IN STEPHEN DAVIS LET HIM GO. HOW MANY OF OUR OWN DRAFT PICKS ARE IN THE STARTING LINE UP. LIVING OUT IN SO. CAL I HAVE GOTTEN UP EARLY SUNDAYS TO GO TO SPORTS BARS TO WATCH MY SKINS AVERAGE ABOUT $50.00 EACH SUNDAY. THEN I GOT THE NFL TICKET WHICH NOW COSTS ABOUT $300. ADD AN ADDITIONAL $100.00 SO I CAN GET GAMES AT WORK VIA INTERNET(I WORK SUNDAYS NOW) + $250.00 FOR TICKETS FOR JAN 3 GAME HERE IN SAN DIEGO THATS A LOT OF MONEY FOR SOMEONE LIKE ME. NEXT YEAR NO NFL TICKET KEEPING THE MONEY IN MY POCKET. I DON'T EVEN WEAR MY SKINS GEAR ANYMORE. UNTIL DANNY GETS A GM, A HEAD COACH AND PLAYERS THAT WANNA WIN SEE YA.
Billy - Great article! We grew up watching the HOG's and Riggo run.
Hope your well and sedn a note if you have a chance.
All the Best and Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Mike
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Oct 27, 2009
02:26 PM
As a Redskins fan, I couldn't have said it any better. This is the only approach to take to ensure a successful future for years to come in Washington. The "same old" methods will only yield the same results as the past ten years: consistent failure.